Texas is a voter suppressive state.
Tactics to suppress the vote are omnipresent in our history and present. Voter suppression is embedded in everything from the existence of a voter registration system in and of itself, the design and procedure of registering to vote, Texas voter I.D. laws, the lack of same-day voter registration – the list goes on and on.
Texas has historically low voter turnout, often in the bottom ten, bottom five, or tying for dead last with D.C. in the last two decades of elections. Texas counties are lucky to get one in two eligible voters to register to vote, let alone make it to the polls. Even following years of massive voter turnout, such as the 2018 midterm election, we see radically low turnout, as seen as the 12% voter turnout for the 2019 Constitutional Amendment election. Low voter turnout hurts Texans. Our voices are heard less, our representatives reflect our values less and less, and bills passed satisfy and aid only a portion of our population. Texans of color, low-income, and minorities are disproportionately underserved by the existing system.
The existing paper-only voter registration system is ineffective, creates unnecessary strain on county officials, wastes taxpayer money, is inaccessible, and creates an inaccurate voter roll. Our lack of a modernized voter registration system opens the doors for disenfranchisement. Voters without access to a printer, postage, or transportation to a mailbox or Volunteer Deputy Registrar are unable to register to vote. The process itself cuts out the elderly, military, youth, low-income, and rural voters. Even if voters manage to mail in their form or register to vote in-person, one in eight forms are invalid or not counted, due to illegibility or a mistake by the county official inputting information.[1].
As the 2nd largest state in the country, with over 20 million eligible voters, online voter registration is a necessity[2]. The Lone Star State deserves and needs online voter registration. Most states, 41 to be exact, have an online voter registration system. The solution to Texas’ problems is a concurrent online voter registration system with the option of paper registration. Creating an online voter registration system that complements the existing paper system will protect rural and low-income voters from disenfranchisement. Texas voters should be able to use their Texas Driver’s License number or the last four of their Social Security Number to complete a voter registration application. These identification requirements are identical to those needed to register to vote within the existing system.
Modernizing Texas’ voter registration system will allow vulnerable voters to have true access to our democratic process. Expanding voter access to registering to vote will create a more free, fair, and representative democracy. An online voter registration system is simply a necessity.
[1] Patrick Svitek, “Texas Hits Nearly 17 Million Registered Voters for November Election,” The Texas Tribune, October 17, 2020, https://www.texastribune.org/2020/10/16/texas-2020-registered-voters/.
[2] “Inaccurate, Costly, and Inefficient Evidence That America’s Voter Registration System Needs an Upgrade” (Pew Trusts, February 2020), https://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/legacy/uploadedfiles/pcs_assets/2012/pewupgradingvoterregistrationpdf.pdf.
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